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Digging Deeper
This article, , is the fourth chapter of Braving the Waves arc, which is part of Bleach: Cataclysm. It features Yori Hisagi, the Yume Siblings (Manami Yume, Chihaya Yume and Mizuko Hoshiko-Yume), Hotaru Takahashi and Tsubaki Kori as the POV characters. This particular chapter is written jointly by Kenji-Taichō, APS and Ashy. ---- Yori's day began like every other. He attended a Hakuda class taught by Miria Fujibayashi, all the while watching and listening to everything and anything his peers said. It was a challenge pulling truth from rumour and gossip but Yori was beginning to notice trends. It was apparent Ryan's shift in personality and policy wasn't popular amongst his subordinates; he had even heard Miria ridicule him when she thought no one was listening. "I might be able to get her help." He thought, pondering. It was already past noon by the time Yori sat himself down on a bench to gather his thoughts. "I wonder how Naoko's doing?" He recalled their departure. She made him promise that she'd see him again in one piece and Yori, being the fool that he was, promised he would. "I'd better get back to it. Hmm!? Whose there? I could have sworn someone was there."" He cracked his neck as he rose, hoping he wouldn't be called to "train" with Blake again. "He could be onto me." Yori was convinced he did it only to keep an eye on him. "What I need are allies; friends who share my views." As Yori got up deep in thought, he failed to notice the three young women with downcast faces walking past him, causing the young man to accidentally bump into the one closest to him. Unfortunately, this caused a ripple effect as she clumsily bumped into the middle woman, who also bumped into the woman on the right. As if misfortune was following them, the woman on the right lost her balance and landed on her rear. "Tch. Tch. Tch." She uttered, her eyes closed. "Hey! Watch it!" She growled, finally opening her eyes. Her eyes were partially obscured by her long red hair, but one could make out that it was colored a deep shade of red, and they were directly facing Yori with an obviously annoyed expression. She immediately stood up, and dusted the dirt off her clothing. "Sorry, Ma'am! I was miles away." Yori claimed, having completely failed to notice either of the woman. "Are you okay?" "Some spy I am." He thought critically. "I'm not even fully aware of my surroundings. If Blake did discover me I'd be dead in minutes!" "Okay?! You sullied my clothing! We don't have a Shihakushō like the Shinigami here; these are practically my only clothing! Why, I ought-" Before the red-haired woman could go any further with her tirade, the woman who Yori initially bumped into got in between them and cut her off by covering her compatriot's mouth with her hand. "I apologize for my sister's behavior. And I apologize for accidentally bumping into you." She said, apologetically bowing to Yori. "We were quite deep in thought, and it was my mistake to not notice you getting up. However, it was partially my sister's fault for falling down, she's quite clumsy you see." A muffled cry erupted from the red-haired woman's mouth, her face now flushed. The initial tirade put Yori in-mind of Hoshi Madarame, who sadly lost her life during the Collapse. "I wonder what she'd make of all this." But Yori waved the second sister's comments aside. "Don't be silly! It was me who bumped into you so it shouldn't be you who apologizes, ma'am. I hope we can forget about this and start over. My name is Yori Hisagi." He was then struck with an idea. "Let me make it up to you. There's this little cafe not far from here that actually survived the Collapse. My treat." "I did say I needed to make a few friends." He thought. "Besides... I can't spend every waking hour spying on Ryan, not with Blake potentially spying- There's that feeling again. I swear I'm either going mad or someone's tailing me." "Well, if you insist. It would be rude of me to reject such an offer from a handsome man such as yourself." The silver-haired woman replied with a smile, bowing to Yori once again. "I suppose introductions are in order then from all of us. First of all, I am Manami Yume." "I am Chihaya Yume." The middle sister chimed in as she walked to Manami's side. Her silver hair flowed past her shoulders and she had strikingly sky blue eyes that caught Yori's attention immediately. "It's a pleasure." She said while bowing courteously. "And this fiery red-head is Mizuko Yume." Another muffled cry came from Mizuko. But this time, she managed to free herself from Manami's grip. "And don't you forget it! ALSO. You're treating ME. Not just Manami and Chihaya!" Yori uncomfortably laughed at Manami's statement. "Damn. She's pretty feisty." "And we are the Daughters of Kei Yume. Please, take care of us kindly." Manami said. "Understood, Mizuko." Yori managed to say, sounding as frightened as he looked. The latter comment by Manami caught his attention though. "Your father's a good man. He was my Zanjutsu instructor at the academy, you see, though I haven't seen him in some time. I didn't know he had any children, let alone three daughters." "All of whom are stunning I might add." Though he had the sense not to voice that, lest they think him a creep. He just hoped he wasn't as useless around these young woman as his father had once been around Yori's mother, if the stories Izuru Kira used to tell him where anything to go by. Judging by what Kira had divulged was the one who took the first step in the relationship. "It's this way, please." Yori said at last. As promised the cafe wasn't far; Yori led the girls up the street and turned right and then took the next left, which took the group to a large building with circular tables outside and a distinct smell of tea and coffee blending together on the breeze; he even detected a slight smell of honey. The buildings windows where open fully and a pleasant breeze was blowing right through it. There also weren't that many people around. "Please, get whatever you want." The three woman sat down down at the table closest to them. Manami and Chihaya were smiling at Yori. Mizuko, on the otherhand, was still ill-tempered about the incident before and merely scowled at him. "I'll have the a parfait then." "Hmmm. Let's see." Chihaya said, pausing to quickly glance at the menu. "I think I want a vanilla creme banana crepe. With whipped cream." She said joyously. "...I'll have a parfait AND a vanilla creme banana crepe with whipped creme." Mizuko said, glaring at Yori, who could only laugh nervously in response. "Coming right up. I'll be back in a minute, excuse me." He stepped inside and gave the waitress behind the counter his order which, in addition to what the girls had asked for, included the cafe's speciality club-sandwich and a cup of tea with a spoonful of honey for himself, in addition to a standard pot of tea and coffee if the girls decided they wanted some. He informed her that his group was waiting outside at table #4. before returning to them, taking his seat. For once he didn't feel like he were being watched. "It'll be here soon." He explained. "Forgive me if I'm being too direct here but I never seen any of you at the Shinō Academy, and you all look to be similar in age to myself. I would definitely have remembered seeing three fine ladies like yourselves." "... I just said that didn't I...? Oh, frig." "Oh-ho-ho. Trying to get on my good side already?" Mizuko replied with a raised eyebrow. "Ain't going to cut it pal." Before she could continue further, Manami coughed rather loudly, seemingly telling her sister to shut it. "We accept your compliment graciously Yori." Manami said. She was about to say something when Mizuko interjected, cutting into the conversation. "We were born this way. Kenmeiotome genetics and such. In other words, we're probably one of prettiest people you'll ever meet." Mizuko blurted out, only to immediately go silent and turn her head away from Manami's gaze. Manami was looking out the window, observing the sky. "You said earlier that you did not know Captain Kei had three daughters? I guess father did not really tell the Gotei about us. To my knowledge, only the Captains knew Kei had children. Even then, only Chihaya and I are his biological children. Mizuko over there, is adopted and is actually my mother's niece." Manami said with a smirk. Mizuko heard what Manami said but all she could do was grunt in annoyance and scowl at her. Manami then turned her head to directly face the young Shinigami. "I would not be surprised you haven't seen any of us at Shinō Academy or in Soul Society in general; we have spent the majority of our lives at Seta Girls' Academy in the and our homeland, Tougenkyou. Out of all of us, only I have been to Shinō Academy, even thought it was only momentarily." "Huh, we have a pretty ensemble of ladies here today?" A young man with striking pink hair and glasses commented as he approached the table on his way to the counter. With him was another young woman with black hair and purple eyes, a pair of simple features for a simple woman. "Hotaru! How rude! Excuse my companion." The woman bowed apologetically, "I am Tsubaki Kori and this is Hotaru Takahashi. Would you care as to enlighten us on who you are? We haven't seen you around here before to my knowledge." Tsubaki inquired, despite Hotaru going to the counter, ignoring the newcomers altogether. "Oh, I'm sorry." Manami replied to Hotaru, getting up to face her. "Chihaya. Mizuko." She said, raising her hand, motioning for her sisters to get up as well. Chihaya stood up almost immediately. But Mizuko grunted and took her time to stand up, taking a bite of her crepe along the way. "I am Manami Yume." Manami said, indicating herself. Despite being questioned by people she didn't know, Manami continued to keep up her smile. "I'm Chihaya. Pleased to meet you." Chihaya said, bowing to Hotaru and Tsubaki. "I'm Mizuko. I'm not pleased to meet you." Mizuko said, giving Tsubaki and Hotaru a slight bow before she returned to her seat. "I apologize for Mizuko's rude behavior. She's not in the most pleasant mood of right now. She's much nicer. Or less rude, whichever you take it. I assure." Chihaya said. "And we are the Daughters of Kei Yume. Please take care of us." Yori watched the scene unfold before him with a curious look but he too followed the girls lead and got to his feet in greeting, and the scowl he fixed on Hotaru would've soured milk, though he smoothed his features over quickly by sipping his honey-flavoured tea. It seemed Yori expected a little more politeness. "Ain't his attitude just lovely." Yori whispered to Mizuko with venomous sarcasm, out of ear-shot of everyone else. Mizuko merely smirked and grunted in acknowledgement. "Hmmph." "It's nice to meet you, Hotaru, I'm Yori Hisagi." He said, the words like ash in his mouth. He then looked at Tsubaki and his eyes nearly leapt out of his skull! "It's good to see that a fellow member of the 11th Division survived the Collapse. Please, Tsubaki, I ordered extra tea and coffee. Join us." After leaving the choice in Tsubaki's hands Yori returned his attention to the Yume girls. "You're all much more interesting than me." Yori admitted. "I spent six years at the Shinō Academy. As I mentioned earlier your father was my Zanjutsu instructor. Other than that I'm afraid I've had few accomplishments. My parents, Shuhei Hisagi and Rangiku Matsumoto, were already something considered legends at my age." "Us interesting? I could hardly attest to that. Our father and mother are far more accomplished than we could ever hope to be. We are mere maidens who have yet to make a name for ourselves. And if it weren't for him, Chihaya, Mizuko, and I wouldn't be here right now..." Manami replied, letting the last bit of her statement trail off. "Don't fret Yori. With the Collapse, there we will be a chance for a new generation of heroes and legends to rise. And I think that you'll be one of them at the forefront." Chihaya stated, warmly smiling at him. "That means a lot, thank you." Yori said, locking eyes with the blue-eyed girl, giving her his own smile. He then nervously scratched the back of his head, blushing scarlet in the process. "A-Anyone want some tea? Coffee, perhaps?" "Real smooth, Yori. A cigarette wouldn't go amiss right about now... but that's hardly flattering." The three sisters remained silent, letting Yori's words stand. Chihaya noticed Yori's embarrassment and quietly giggled at his blushed face. Chihaya slightly turned her head to Manami and discreetly winked at her sister, who also returned it in kind. "Oh, certainly..." Tsubaki waited a moment before realizing who Yori was, "Yori!?" Immediately sitting down, she embraced him instantly without any regard for position before releasing him. "You're alive?? You look so different, matured! It's good to see you again!" Realizing the position she was in, Tsubaki blushed for a moment, moving her seat slightly away from Yori and coughing to remove the awkward atmosphere that developed, beginning to sip a bit of the coffee, "If you wouldn't mind." "Naoko made it too though things where a little touch and go for a while." Yori claimed, revealing no more than he had to. "I was on a mission to Heisekai alongside your cousin, Itazura, and I guess I grew up a bit." He laughed at that. It was the understatement of the century. Before Yori had been a short and overly lean little boy who painted his face with washable tattoo's just so he looked more like his father. As Tsubaki rightly claimed he was very different now. Fighting for his life in Heisekai and training with Meian had served to give him muscle; and the shortness of his youth was a thing of the past. Yori was broad through the shoulders with the physique of an athlete and he carried himself with a lot more confidence, though at times the boy was still very much at the forefront. "I can't believe this to be honest." Yori said, somewhat disbelievingly. He took a swig of his honeyed tea to calm his racing thoughts. He really wanted a cigarette. "I never expected this in my wildest dreams. "Ah...the 11th Division starters. No wonder you seemed a bit familiar." Hotaru noticed, having returned with a Hot Chocolate in his hands — a rather childish order. "Mind if I take a seat?" Hotaru asked, although he promptly took a seat from another table and sat down regardless, the conversation suddenly becoming silent upon his entrance. "Great work Hotaru..." Yori was too happy to care. He acknowledged Hotaru with a more respectful nod of the head than he managed previously. "We'll need to do something to celebrate; all of us." "Don't mind us. We're just tourists here," Mizuko stated as a matter of factly, rolling her eyes at the Shinigami reunion. Chihaya and Manami merely sat in their seats, partaking in the desserts they had ordered. "Ah...I apologize." Tsubaki bowed her head, laughing slightly. "Would you all like to come to a particular favorite spot of Hotaru and myself? It's quite comforting. Nothing for a celebration, but with all the recent tension...it might just put you at ease. What do you say, Hotaru?" Tsubaki asked the people around her, while pulling the question towards Hotaru. "I'm fine with that. It's their decision, after all." He bluntly responded. A few years ago, Hotaru would be the one giddily trying to go and party. "I'm up for most things." Yori claimed, rising. As long as those he was with had fun he was usually happy and content himself. It wasn't a bad way to life your live. "But I'd certainly enjoy it a lot more if you'd all come as well." And that he directed at the Yume siblings. "But before you answer anything, excuse me for two minutes." Yori walked off towards the building opposite the cafe and reached inside his jacket for his lighter and a cigarette, which he was soon puffing on contentedly. He first carried the lighter simply as an ignition source for Hadō #69. Sekka, but eventually took up smoking. "I've been needing this all day..." He thought, relaxing. "This day has been mad. First Miria complains about Ryan and then I feel like I'm being watched. It was good meeting these people however." Speaking of being watched the reason soon became quite noticeable. "I hope you don't mind some company, boy." Yori's body went rigid and as he turned he couldn't help but swallow a very large lump. "Captain Shihōin! This is unexpected, sir." "Stop your posturing, boy. I only came to give you a good scare." Blake's laughter faded as the man himself vanished from Yori's sight, leaving the younger Shinigami feeling like he'd just had a brush with death. When he returned to his seat opposite the Yume siblings he looked as pale as a ghost. He downed over three-quarters of his tea and immediately ordered another. "And I still feel like I'm being watched!" "Hmmph. To treat his girlfriends so indifferently. The gall of that handsome man." Manami said, casually sipping her drink. A small coy smile started to form at the corner of her expression. Mizuko's and Chihaya's ears perked up at the mention of "girlfriend", and the eyes of the three siblings met, as if they were communicating something. "We'll come along. Everyone here is quite interesting." "Then, let's go along." Tsubaki smiled, still quite perplexed by the sudden appearance of Blake. She stood up and took the lead, exiting from the café and waiting for everyone else to come along with her. Hotaru, being one of the few who knew the way, went forward and accompanied Tsubaki. He looked at her briefly, the two sharing a small conversation with their glances as the tension eased up following the arrival of their companions. "Heh." A whisper was caught in the air, the shadow of long hair went past the café, before suddenly disappearing with a sudden gust that came from the east. Although Tsubaki and Hotaru exited the cafe, Manami continued to sit at their table, picking at was left of their dessert. Chihaya was already finished with her sweets and was merely looking out the window. "Aren't going to follow them Manami?" Mizuko asked, standing and tapping her heel on the floor. Manami turned her head and faced Mizuko with a questioning eyebrow. "Why? We have no obligation to follow them. We came here with Yori-san, and we should leave when he returns." She replied with a smile. Mizuko merely nodded her head, an uh-huh coming out of her mouth. "Well, if you put it that way, I can't argue. Hopefully, he comes back soon, or he'll face my wrath for wasting my time." "But Onee-sama, you could have followed Hotaru and Tsubaki instead of complaining." Chihaya interjected, her voice laced with sarcastic undertones. "Why...Well...Um...No....Shut up Chihaya." Mizuko said, turning her head away from Chihaya's gaze. When Yori returned from within the cafe with a fresh cup of tea he looked a little less shaken. Colour had returned to his cheeks and a casual smile had taken the place of his former downbeat look. He'd also taken measures to ensure he didn't smell like an ashtray. A quick demonstration of Kidō kneaded through his clothing caused the ash (and smell) to fall away without incident. "I'm terribly sorry for the wait." He said. "I guess that's another I'll have to make up to you all. I, for one, wouldn't mind meeting up with you all again." It was only then he noticed the absence of Tsubaki and Hotaru, the latter who was gradually getting farther from the group. "Shall we follow them?" "If you want. You are our guide after all." Manami said, nodding her head. "Not like there is much to do anything here anyway." Mizuko muttered under breath, her lips pursed. "It isn't the most exciting place I'll admit," Yori replied, seemingly having heard Mizuko, giving a smile in reply. "But hanging out with you all beats out what I had originally planned to do today." He then walked towards the departing figures of Tsubaki and Hotaru. "I have no idea where those two are going... but I guess we'd better follow them?" "If you insist...not like they acknowledged us anyway. But if it suits your fancy, we'll be right behind you Yori." Mizuko answered. Tsubaki and Hotaru continued to walk, appearing a bit perturbed despite the relative serenity of the surrounding environment. It had only taken a few minutes by walking — given the massive size of Seireitei — before they reached to their destination. It was a small, almost glittering pond at the edge of Seireitei, surrounded by deep green banks that enabled the perfect place for both relaxation and isolated training, should one have wished to engage in it. "A nice, relaxing, congratulatory area. What do you all think?" Tsubaki turned around and asked her new acquaintances, clearly being passionate about the beauty of the area. "Compared to everything else around here, it definitely is visually appealing to the eyes. Now outside this place. It's a different story.." Mizuko replied haphazardly, her eyes elsewhere. Yori was struck speechless. Before him lay a sight that struck a very familiar cord; one that was very close to his own heart. The glittering pond put him in mind of Horiwari's once glittering canals and waterways. But of course the moment he thought of Horiwari he thought of the man who exchanged his life so his two students could live. "... Meian..." He whispered. It was all he could not to break down into tears there and then. He turned his back to look at the sun above so that he wasn't seen wiping the tears from his eyes. "It's beautiful." He managed to say, although he couldn't keep the emotion from his voice. "Are...you alright, Yori?" Tsubaki asked the young man, noticing that his voice had dimmed down slightly. Although she was not pertained with the details, she certainly didn't wish to sadden the young man. "If you'd like...we can move elsewhere? Hotaru knows a good spot, right Hotaru?" "Uh, wha -?" Hotaru was about to respond before cutting himself off. "Ah, yes I do in fact. Feel free to come along should you want to move areas." Mizuko grimaced at the sight of Yori's tears. She dug deep within her pockets and took out a pretty silk hankerchief emblazoned with the Yume Family Crest as well as the Mizuko's Initials being sewn directly on it. She presented it to Yori, her head turned away from the young man. "Here. It's disgraceful to see a man such as yourself shed tears in front of a maiden. Wipe them away and return it to me once you get it cleaned." She said haughtily. "We all lost someone dear to us Yori. You aren't alone." Manami said comfortingly, visibly trying to hold back her own tears. Chihaya nodded in agreement, clutching onto her elder sister's clothing. "Thanks... But I'll be fine." Yori claimed, after depositing the offered handkerchief in his pocket after wiping away the tears. "Don't move on my account. Besides, I think I could get to like this place." "Indeed...this ordeal has taken something from all of us." Tsubaki finished, but lightly smiled. "At the very least, though, it hasn't taken everything, right?" Her optimism shined through. "Come, let's sit down. Or would you prefer something more dynamic?" "Whatever," Mizuko muttered underneath her breath, seemingly disappointed with Yori's words. Chihaya and Manami immediately noticed their sister's facial expression and nervously laughed. Yori was more astute and observant than most seemed to think. The moment Mizuko turned away from him he grinned before turning his back on the group, seemingly having come to some secret conclusion he wasn't quite ready to share. "I'm sorry to do this... but I'll be back in a few minutes. There's something really important I have to take care of, and I'm afraid that it cannot wait." With that he vanished with a rather impressive flash-step, quickly moving out of sight of his new acquaintances. "I think this will surprise her." He thought as he sped off. "Huh? Where'd he run off to?" Tsubaki queried, surprised by the sudden speed of his flash step. "Hotaru, can you track him or...?" Tsubaki immediately requested as she turned to Hotaru lying down on the grass. "Nup, he's gone. Quite fast, that one." Hotaru sighed, "I couldn't even tell which direction he went in, jeez. Leave him be, it's probably a man thing." Hotaru lazily explained, yawning as he did so. "I wish Father was here; he promised us a tour of Soul Society and all of its special places." Manami lamented with a heavy sigh. "The Day the Collapse happened...was the day Dad was supposed to take us." Chihaya said with her lips pursed, her gaze downcast. "Oh come off it now. ...We had time to grieve and now you bring it up again? Don't ruin it right now when Yori, Tsubaki and Hotaru had taken us out to look around." Mizuko said to her sisters with a raised voice. "Although. I miss him too." She thought to herself. Yori stopped all movement in a field of wild flowers not too far away from his new friends. He was glad that their location hadn't been changed by the Collapse and the formation of the Reikai, otherwise he could've been searching for hours. Which he did not have the time to do to be perfectly honest. "These should be perfect." He thought, collecting a rough bouquet. "Now I just hope she doesn't bite my head off like Hoshi did. when I last tried this." He utilized Shunpo to once again speed off towards his destination... "Please, don't worry so much about it." Tsubaki smiled, "I understand your grievances fully. I lost my father at a much younger age than I am now." Tsubaki sighed to herself soon after, "Of course there's that guy who decides to be a real dick about it." "Hey, what'd I do?" Hotaru asked, his eyebrows pointing upwards as his eyes shot open. "Let me remind you, I'm the reason you do your job anyways!" Hotaru began to engage in comical banter, hoping to lighten the atmosphere a tad. "I thought work would've been the last thing on ours mind." Yori slid along the ground lightly with a spring in his step and a renewed smile on his face, with a bunch of violet-headed wild flowers in his right hand. He produced these flowers to Mizuko and turned away quickly in a failed attempt to hide the rising colour of his cheeks (and also to protect against the right-hook he received from Hoshi in the past). "So... any fish in that pond?" "....." Mizuko remained silent, apparently dumbfounded. Her mouth was partially left agape and turned to face Manami, who only smiled at her in return. Mizuko quickly bowed her head in gratitude, and kept her head down and away from Yori's potential gaze. "We saw our father disappear right before our eyes. He showed no hint of fear and only kept a smile in front of us." Manami said to Tsubaki "Yori...didn't you do the exact same thing with Hoshi Madarame? Or so the rumors suggested, anyway." Tsubaki was slightly shocked by Yori's act of kindness, though chuckled slightly at Mizuko's reaction. But, in a sudden moment of composure, she added, "That's fathers for you, Manami-san..." Hotaru interjected, "Guys, guys...what's up with all the sentimentality?" "I have to say..." Yori remarked to Tsubaki, "... this attempt is going much better. Don't worry Hotaru. Things are about to get a lot more relaxed around here. Bakudō #10. ." As he said the spells name he threw out both hands, producing two yellow-coloured tendrils. These dual tendrils pierced the surface of the lake and with a jerking motion Yori plucked two sizeable fish from the lake, which he then repeated two more times, so that six fish lay flopping on the ground. "I've never used Kidō to cook before but it can't be far removed from an oven, can it? Bakudō #37. ." The fish where thus suspended in an elastic-like cushion. "Hadō #31. ." This created the flames beneath the suspended cushion and in no time at all the aroma of slowly cooking fish wafted to Yori's nose. "I have to say... I didn't expect that to work." "You're lucky you caught Mizuko off-guard, or she would've smacked you as well. But she is charmed, even if she doesn't say it." Manami teasingly stated at the expense of her sister. Mizuko merely shrinked back and grunted in response. "Don't lose him Mizuko, like the last one." Chihaya said...before she was aggressively kicked by Mizuko in response. "Okay okay. I'll shut up now." She finished with a knowing sigh. "What a romantic afternoon." Tsubaki laughed in response to recent events. "Ah, lovely work Yori! I would never have expected a former 11th Division member to excel in Kidō." Tsubaki noticed, sitting down in response to Yori's gesture. "Likewise." Hotaru dully noted, sitting down as well. He was eager for a small bite, despite not showing it. "Cooking with Kido is indeed a first for us." Chihaya chimed in, happily eyeing the food before them. "It's pretty new to me too." Yori thought, but he wasn't fool enough to say that. He wanted to survive long enough to reach old age.